What a difference a season makes. By the end of the school year, the living quarters of a college student have become less of a haven of tranquil relaxation and more of a war zone between old papers, dirty laundry and last semester’s pizza crumbs. With finals approaching, a clean studying environment is essential for lowering stress levels and increasing focus in crunch time. The solution: the old fashioned, roll-up-your-sleeves, scrub-a-dub-dub spring cleaning frenzy.Though most wish they could put in the time to clean, for students with a busy schedule, it just isn’t realistic. So here are the basics that everyone should do to ensure sanity.
Work for the Washer
Gross fact number one: there are millions of dust mites partying every night in your room, even when you’re asleep. Not only is this fact creepy, it can make you sick. Dust mites can increase your exposure to allergies because we are allergic to their fecal waste. How to minimize contact with these little buggers?
*Wash sheets once a week. And if you live off campus, you can save on money by allowing your sheets dry on a line. The sun is a natural sanitizer and it brightens colors.
*Wash laundry as often as possible. Keep in a basket, not lying about in piles. Mites love the microscopic dead skin left on them.
*Wash ALL stuffed animals in the wash--better yet, isn’t time you let teddy bear go?
*Dust with something that attracts and collects dirt rather than expels it into the air. Swiffer towels or just a damp cloth would be best.
Attack Electronics
Do you even want to know how unsanitary your computer keyboard, mouse and telephone are? Think about everything you do before and after you touch all those nifty gadgets and buttons. I trust your imagination will serve you well. Just be reminded that if and when you do tackle these germ playgrounds, not to use any harsh household cleaners and never spray directly onto equipment. Spray a cloth with Windex.
Clean with Coke
Don’t have any cleaning materials at hand? Take advantage of the new beverage on campus: Coca –Cola, and use it for all your sanitizing needs. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid with a gut wrenching pH of 2.8. Pure phosphoric acid can eat through metal and dissolve concrete. So if you feel you need a break from the norm, sit back and crack open a cool can of Coke and pour it in the toilet, sink or bathtub. Let it sit for an hour and rinse. No scrubbing involved. Maybe even throw a splash in a load of heavily stained laundry. Mixed with detergent, Coke is great for getting out grease stains.
Don’t Save. Simplify. We all do it. We hang on to things that we don’t need: clothes, magazines, beer bottle collections, old Collegians and that Somerville test you got an A on (Ok, the Somerville test is allowed). We know most of this stuff will hit the trash or the Salvation Army when you move out anyway. Get rid of it! And for those among us who are shop-aholics and can’t shake the high received when adding more treasure to their trash, here’s a ground rule. Never let the stuff you own own you. For every unnecessary purchase you make, try to think of three things you can throw out to make room for the newcomer. If you can’t think of three things, hold off. Your money can be used elsewhere.-
So for all you spring cleaners out there, whether veterans or rookies, just remember when all else fails, do like the Greeks do, and Windex it.